Former UT Player Urges Students to “Win in Life”

A tackle that was intended to stop a wide receiver streaking downfield in a Tennessee Volunteers versus Air Force Academy football game turned into a near death situation for Inquoris “Inky” Johnson in 2006.

The 29-year-old Atlanta, Ga., native who grew up in a house with his grandmother and 13 other family members, suffered permanent nerve damage to his right arm and a broken artery in his chest as a result of the injury.

Students from all grades at Elmsford’s Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School crowded into a warm auditorium Sept. 13 to hear his amazing story and to learn from this passionate motivational speaker, whose dream of being drafted to the NFL was dashed as a result.

At the time, Johnson was a mere eight games from making that NFL draft a reality. Life-saving surgery and a trip to the Mayo Clinic to repair his severed arm held some promise, but in the end, Johnson realized he would never play football again and had to give up a dream he had been chasing since he was 7 years old.

For most people, such news would have been devastating, For Johnson, however, it was a matter of directing his life toward another path, choosing instead to mentor kids in underprivileged neighborhoods like the one he was raised in and to become a beacon for youth dealing with adversity.

“I was raised to fight for what I believe in,” said Johnson, the father of two children. That conviction and a strong faith helped during his long road to recovery and got him thinking about ways he could help others.

Standing close to his attentive audience of both students and staff, his artificial hand showing below his sleeve, Johnson recalled his rise from poverty and violence and the determination that has helped him overcome adversity and succeed in life.

He recalled that night after night he would train on the streets of Atlanta with his older cousin, running between light poles until his mother finished her shift at a local Wendy’s. A football coach noticed his talent and tenacity and signed him up for organized sports. He later won a full scholarship to the University of Tennessee.

“I didn’t get what I thought I was going to get out of life,” said Johnson, referring to the unfortunate circumstances he found himself in. “But sometimes life takes a different route and in order to survive, you’ve got to figure things out.”

“You know why people quit?” he asked the students. “They don’t have pride in what they do. You know why people stop? They’re selfish and it’s just about them. Well, you need a bigger purpose to keep doing what you’re doing.

“If every decision and choice you make is just about you, you’re going to hit something that’s a lot tougher than you and it’s going to make you quit because you don’t have the driving force to do what you do.”

Rather than feeling sorry for themselves by life’s setbacks, Johnson, who holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from UT, told the students they must constantly adapt to change to reach their goals. To become the best versions of themselves, he told them to be committed to their success.

“Commitment is one of the most important things we can possess as human beings,” he told them.

Don’t expect success to come quickly or easy, he added.

“It’s going to take everything you’ve got, which means it might take three years from now.”

Other ingredients for a successful life, he said, include integrity, perseverance and structure.

“Every single day of your life, you have a chance. Never forget that.”